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According to Capcom the Fighting game Marvel vs Capcom Origins will be getting pulled from the PlayStation Network and XBox Live Marketplace in the coming weeks. On December 23rd you will see it disappear from the PlayStation Network Shelves in the United States and European Union, and on the 31st it will be getting pulled from XBox Live globally.

The pulls will not affect users who have already bought the game or buy it before it gets pulled offline.

Marvel vs Capcom Origins is an updated compilation of two fighting games by Capcom and Iron Galaxy Studios. It combines Marvel Super Heroes with Marvel vs Capcom: Clash of Super Heroes and adds in upgraded visuals, online play, challenges, and new unlockables. It was originally released back in 2012 on both PlayStation Network and XBox Live Marketplace.

Capcom fails to detail a reason for the removal of the game in their short post that announces the upcoming take downs and dates. It is very likely however that the reason for such a removal is due to the license with Marvel expiring, and thus they won’t be able to sell any more copies of it digitally. Unlike many games that get removed, Marvel vs Capcom Origins is a digital only release meaning that once it gets removed from there it will be impossible to acquire new copies of it. This is possibly an ongoing concern for licensed games with the increase of digital distribution that the availability of them will be limited to license time.

It may be that similar license concerns led to Rockstar patching out several songs on the steam version of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, though in that case it affected people who had already bought the game as well.

What did you think of Marvel vs Capcom Origins, and did you have fun playing it? Do you think that Digital Distribution may become an issue for the life span of games? Do you have another theory on why Capcom or Marvel may cause the game to get taken off PlayStation Network and XBox Live Marketplace? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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I've been a gamer for years of various types starting with the Sega Genesis and Shining Force when I was young. If I'm not playing video games, I'm often roleplaying, reading, writing, or pondering things brought up by speculative fiction.